Photo By Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur | More than 600 Idaho Army National Guard Soldiers, joined by Soldiers from the Montana,...... read more read more
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More than 600 Idaho Army National Guard Soldiers, joined by Soldiers from the Montana, Oregon, Ohio and South Carolina Army National Guards, have been training in Fort Bliss, Texas, since mobilizing from Gowen Field in early August.
“Task Force Rattler is trained, motivated and ready to assume all assigned missions in Southwest Asia,” said Lt. Col. Sam McDowell, task force commander. "This team has rapidly prepared and come together as a cohesive and lethal fighting force.”
The task force, Task Force Rattler, will deploy to Southwest Asia later this month in support of Operation Spartan Shield, where they will rotate out with 250 Soldiers from the Idaho Army National Guard as well as Soldiers from the Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Florida Army National Guards.
Both rotations are made up largely of Soldiers from the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, with battalions located in Montana, Oregon and Nevada. Idaho Soldiers comprise nearly 20 percent of the first rotation and 65 percent of the second rotation. Each rotation is approximately 12 months.
Task Force Rattler will fall under Task Force Spartan while overseas and is almost through approximately 45 days of vigorous day and night training at Fort Bliss. The unit also trained more than a year in anticipation of the mission.
“The Soldiers of the 116th are trained and ready to go,” said Col. Eric Orcutt, 116th CBCT commander. “I could not be more proud of these men and women and the efforts they’ve put forth in training and preparing for this mission. They are eager and they are focused and as always, they will achieve the highest level of success.”
Soldiers from the 118th Infantry Regiment from South Carolina National Guard and the 285th Medical Company from the Ohio National Guard are also part of Task Force Rattler, which provide the task force the ability to execute combined arms maneuvers.
The intense training at Fort Bliss consisted of long hours with day and night combined arms maneuver missions with the Idaho Army National Guard shooting 120mm mortar rounds from M113 Armored Mortar Carriers, 25mm rounds from Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 120mm rounds from M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks. During the live-fire and joint operations, the training integrated scouts, snipers, South Carolina’s Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected tactical vehicles and overhead protection from Apaches from Charlie Company, 1st of the 501st Aviation Battalion from Fort Bliss.
Ohio Army National Guard’s 285th Medical Company has a large role in the deployment as a Role 2 field medical establishment, considered to be a comparison to a field urgent care or operating facility. Task force combat medics in the field are the first step in the line of care as Role 1 medics, who are initial lifesaving measures, self-aid and buddy care at the point of injury. For a severe medical emergency, medics transport patients to the 285th’s Role 2 field medical facility.
“We would provide surgery at the operating facility, as well as lab work, dental care and x-ray capabilities, making us an even higher echelon of care out in the field,” said Capt. Destiny Pathammavong, 285th Medical Company commander. “If more care is needed, we would stabilize the patient and send them to a Role 3 facility, which would be a hospital.”
The training at Fort Bliss included events where medics performed Role 1 and 2 care, triage and a mass casualty medical emergency that required sending patients to a simulated Role 3 hospital by ambulance or helicopter.
“This has been amazing for my team to even get this experience,” said Pathammavong. “Typically, when we train in the field, we are pretending as if we are getting casualties from the Role 1, without having that asset. To have that here and be able to integrate with the Role 1, synchronize with all the medical assets that are available and to work out the communication piece of it as well, has been as real as it’s going to get in a training environment.”
An evaluation team from the 189th Infantry Brigade Combined Arms Training Battalion from Joint Base Lewis-McChord conducted qualifications of the maneuvers, combined arms, live-fire and mass casualty medical demonstrations.
OSS is a joint mission under the United States Central Command and is part of Operation Enduring Freedom. OSS is an ongoing operation and supported primarily by Army National Guard combat units from across the country.
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2022 16:08 |
| Story ID: | 429643 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | BOISE, ID, US |
| Web Views: | 274 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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